Many Crowns

"like a tree planted by water"

Psalm 1:3

I read an interesting article a few weeks ago, about redwood trees.  What glorious specimens those are, aren't they?  Exceedingly tall, majestic and often ancient, they are a beautiful reminder of the creativity and strength and might of God. 

Took these myself, on a school trip with my Amazing Girl

Redwoods grow up to a few hundred feet tall, and their trunks can grow up to twenty feet in diameter.  They are hardy trees, too.  They'd have to be, in order to live so long, though.... For instance, a tree that is knocked down can start to grow into several trees, each one originally a branch that was pointing up from the now-horizontal tree.

And sometimes, when a tree is knocked down but its stump is left, a circle of trees, called a cathedral, will grow from that stump.    

The bark can be a foot thick, and is resistant to fire, pests and water rot.

Not impervious to fire, you understand.... just resistant

But all of these details, I already knew, before I read the article.  Maybe I learned it from the guide when we were in the National Park.  Maybe I learned it from my dad, one of the many times we camped in the area. 

But while reading this article, I learned something new ~ and this is the part that felt like a lesson from God.  It said that damage from wind or fire stimulates new growth; and that redwoods nearest the coast ~ more exposed to storms ~ develop the most complex crowns.  That's what they're called:  crowns! 

How's that for a reward for withstanding trials?

~ "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; 

for when he has been approved, 

he will receive the crown of life 

which the Lord has promised" ~

James 1:12